Paris Hilton has opened up about a traumatic event that left a lasting negative impact on her life: the sex tape video during her late teens that was leaked. In a recent public speech, the model and businesswoman stressed how the tape was shared without her consent. She also touched upon how people failed to understand her pain, and how there were no laws to protect her.
Paris Hilton shares how sex tape leak impacted her
Paris Hilton joined Congresswoman and Democratic Party member Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and other advocates/representatives at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, January 22, 2026. She joined them in advocating for the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act or DEFIANCE Act.
This legislation gives victims of nonconsensual AI/digitally generated sexually explicit content the right to take legal action against those who produce, distribute, solicit, receive, or possess said content with the intent to distribute. Notably, the legislation passed in the Senate last week by unanimous consent has yet to become a law.
At a press briefing, Hilton — who deemed the DEFIANCE Act “personal” to her — gave a speech touching upon the leaked sex tape’s impact on her life. She said, “When I was 19 years old, a private intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent.” The 44-year-old added that people labeled the tape a “scandal,” even though it was “abuse.” She further stated that laws to protect her from harm didn’t exist at the time. “There weren’t even words for what had been done to me,” the mother of two continued. “The internet was still new, and so was the cruelty that came with it.”
Hilton then recalled the humiliation she experienced and further recalled how her “pain” became a commodity for “clicks.” Hilton also remembered how people told her to “be quiet, move on, and even be grateful for the attention.”
After a brief sigh, Hilton noted, “These people didn’t see me as a young woman who had been exploited. They didn’t see the panic that I felt, the humiliation, or the shame. No one asked me what I lost.” She continued, “I lost control over my body, over my reputation. My sense of safety and self-worth was stolen from me.”
Hilton stressed that what happened to her is currently happening to girls everywhere. She called deepfake porn an “epidemic,” adding that it wasn’t just about the technology but also about power. She also affirmed her intent to keep telling the truth and protect women from harm associated with deepfake technology.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory.
